


Brave New World

by EvanlynDurin00



Category: Boy Meets World
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brothers, Child Abandonment, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26583118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvanlynDurin00/pseuds/EvanlynDurin00
Summary: For as long as he can remember, Jack Hunter has had one important job. Take care of Shawn. Sometimes it's easy and other times it's a lot harder than it should be. It doesn't help when he also has to make sure that nobody finds out about their home life.
Relationships: Jack Hunter & Shawn Hunter
Comments: 8
Kudos: 49





	1. Growing up on empty promises

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I have a bazillion stories running already. And I promise that I haven't abondend them. It's just that my muse has become rather selectively available at the moment. Anyways, this story came to be after re-watching Boy Meets World and reading fanfiction about it. I have always wondered how different Shawn's storyline would have been if he had grown up with Jack. This story is one of my takes on it, but believe me, I also have a few others. Enjoy!

The earliest memory Jack Hunter has consists of his mother leaving. He was two years old and his parents had a big fight in the living room. Although Jack was supposed to be asleep, the shouting made it impossible. It scared him and he desperately wanted to hide under the bed. A whimper from the other side of the room stopped him. That frightened Jack even more, because the last thing that he wanted was for the baby to start crying. Last time that happened, dad had gotten really mad.

As quietly as he could, Jack made his way to the crib. Standing on his tippytoes, he peered inside. The baby wasn’t crying yet, but the whimpers were getting louder. Reaching out, Jack grasped one of the baby’s hands.

‘Sssh, don’t cry. Please, baby.’

Talking seemed to help, because the baby stopped making sounds. Jack stroked the baby’s hand and kept repeating all the words he knew in a whispered tone. A crash suddenly came from the living room, causing Jack to jump and the baby to whimper again.

‘No, baby, no. Sssh.’

It didn’t help. Tears were forming in the baby’s eyes and another whimper sounded. Desperate, Jack let go and reached up to pull himself into the crib. He had done it before, when his parents weren’t looking. It was hard, especially when his movements were panicky, but in the end, he managed. Carefully lying down, Jack pulled the baby into his arms.

‘Sssh, baby. I here.’

The shouting came closer and Jack hugged the baby tightly. He didn’t want his parents to come in here. Maybe if the baby and he were really quiet, mom and dad would go back to the living room. Or even better, they would stop shouting.

Jack spent most of the night in the crib, keeping the baby quiet and desperately hoping his parents would not come into his room. All the fear and adrenaline eventually crashed down on him and caused him to drift off.

He was woken by the sound of the door opening. Jack immediately clutched the baby to him and watched with wide eyes as his dad walked in, alone. He seemed sad, instead of angry.

‘Hiya, son. Bet you had a tough night, huh?’

Jack nodded slowly. He wondered where his mom was. She usually came after a fight, not dad.

‘Yeah, me too.’

Dad sat down on the edge of Jack’s bed, pulling a hand through his hair.

‘Listen, Jack, I’m really sorry. Your mom, she…uh, she left. Don’t think she’s coming back either.’

‘Momma bye-bye?’

A sad chuckle.

‘Yeah, momma bye-bye. Looks like it’s just you, me and Shawn. You know, you did a good job with your brother last night. Maybe you can help me take care of Shawn. I bet you’ll be a real good big brother.’

Jack nodded again, unsure what he was supposed to do. Dad stayed for a few moments, then went back to the living room, slamming the door as he went. The noise caused the baby to start crying. Jack pulled the baby even closer, both children needing the comfort it brought.

‘Don’t cry, baby. I here. I stay.’ 

* * *

Jack was standing by the entrance of the playground for the kindergartners, feeling very awkward among all the adults. Even at 7 years old, he was keenly aware that some of the parents were giving him weird looks. He supposed it must look odd, a lone kid waiting for kindergarten to let out. It was a relief when the doors opened and all the little children spilled out, the adults’ attention instantly on them instead of Jack. He looked around, trying to spot his little brother.

‘Jack! Jack, lookit!’

At hearing his name called, Jack managed to spot a familiar little terror barrelling towards him, dragging another boy behind him. Jack braced for impact just in time, as Shawn knocked into him at full speed, throwing his arms around him. His face was beaming.

‘Can I play at Cory’s?’

Now Jack also recognized the other boy. Cory Matthews lived only two blocks away from them and had been Shawn’s best friend since they were 3. Shawn had been at Cory’s place loads of times and Jack sometimes came along to play with Eric, Cory’s older brother.

‘Have you asked Cory’s parents?’

Shawn’s face lit up even more and he grabbed Cory’s hand again, dragging him over to where Mrs. Matthews was waiting for her son. Jack followed at a slower pace and by the time he had reached them, Cory and Shawn had already asked the question.

‘Well, I suppose it’s alright,’ Mrs. Matthews was saying. She spotted Jack and smiled at him. ‘You know, Jack, you could come too. I believe Eric is looking for someone to play basketball with him.’

It didn’t take Jack long to formulate a response. Mrs. Matthews offer made things much easier. He could make his homework there and wouldn’t have to keep an eye on Shawn for a few hours. He loved his little brother to pieces, but Shawn could be a handful sometimes.

‘Thank you, Mrs. Matthews, that would be great.’

When they arrived at the Matthews house, Cory and Shawn immediately disappeared upstairs, giggling excitedly. Jack sat down at the kitchen table with Eric and pulled out his homework. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder and found Mrs. Matthews smiling at him.

‘Do you need to call your parents, let them know you’re here?’

Absolutely not. There probably wasn’t anyone to pick up the phone anyway. Dad was at work and Jack had no idea where Virna was. Besides, they usually didn’t notice if Jack and Shawn weren’t home.

‘No, that’s okay, Mrs. Matthews. They already know, I told them this morning we might go here after school.’

‘Alright, if you’re sure.’

Because he was expecting it, Jack caught the glance of worry in Mrs. Matthews’ eyes. Hopefully, she would just leave things be. Jack didn’t need an adult interfering, he could take care of Shawn by himself. 

* * *

Jack was eight when dad lost his job and they moved to the trailer park where the rest of the Hunter clan lived. It only got worse as dad started drinking and Virna left for days at a time. Shawn was six and threw a tantrum when Jack informed him that they couldn’t invite friends over anymore. And even though he always tried not to snap, Jack lost his patience and pushed Shawn. The younger boy wasted no time in retaliating and then they were rolling over the floor, kicking and punching. By the time they pulled apart, both were nursing a split lip. It caused Shawn to burst out laughing and Jack joined in. Their anger dissipated and Jack guided his little brother to the kitchen sink to take care of the wound.

Around November that year, Shawn got really sick. It started out as a cold, so Jack wasn’t really worried and just made sure that Shawn wore warm clothes. Then came the tiredness. Shawn became impossible to wake up in the morning and could be found sleeping at the oddest of times, even falling asleep in the middle of a sentence. Dad and Virna weren’t around, so Jack installed nap time and send Shawn to bed earlier. It didn’t help.

Shawn started having bouts of coughing in the middle of the night, waking them both up. Jack did the best he could, sitting behind his little brother to help him breathe, feeding him cough syrup and making warm milk to help him go back to sleep. One night, after the umpteenth bout of coughing, Shawn leaned back against Jack, whimpering and shivering.

‘My chest hurts, Jack. Make it stop.’

He didn’t know how. There were no painkillers in the medicine cabinet and it was too late to go out. He tried rubbing Shawn’s chest and as he did, his little brother sagged against him even further. They fell asleep like that, though it didn’t stay that way for long. In the early hours of the morning, Jack was shaken awake by Shawn, who looked absolutely miserable, with tear tracks on his pale face.

‘I threw up.’

After helping Shawn into some clean pyjamas, Jack filled a bucket with water and started scrubbing at the floor. He had done it before, when dad came home really drunk, but that didn’t make him hate the chore any less. At least Shawn had tried to get to the bathroom. By the time Jack was done, it was 7 am and he was dead tired. Returning to the bedroom, he found Shawn curled under a blanket, shivering. Crawling into the bed, Jack pulled his brother into his arms, frowning at the heat that met him. He decided that, after he had some sleep, he would check Shawn’s temperature.

Both boys were woken abruptly by banging on the trailer door. Shawn let out a sob and burrowed into Jack’s chest. His breathing was coming in short spurts now and Jack was torn between comforting his brother and checking who was at the door. He knew the person couldn’t come in, since Jack had locked the door before going to bed.

The banging continued and Jack decided it would be best to check. What if it was dad? As he tried to get out of bed, Shawn clung to his arm.

‘Don’t go. Hurts.’

‘I gotta, Shawn. I promise I’ll be real quick.’

‘No.’

His little brother was shaking all over and the banging was still going on. Getting fed up, Jack hefted Shawn into his arms and carried him to the living room. There he deposited his little brother on the couch and went to the door.

‘Who’s there?’ He called out.

‘Jack? It’s me, Allan Matthews. Is everything alright?’

He let out a relieved sigh. Maybe Mr. Matthews could help Shawn, since Jack was running out of ideas.

Opening the door, Jack took a step back to let Mr. Matthews in. The man opened his mouth to speak, but then Shawn let out another whimper and Mr. Matthews’ attention was immediately on Jack’s little brother. The man crouched down in front of the couch and held his against Shawn’s forehead before immediately pulling it back.

‘He’s burning up. What’s his temperature?’

Jack ran to the medicine cabinet and came back with the thermometer. Mr. Matthews snatched it from him and coaxed Shawn into opening his mouth. When the thermometer beeped, Mr. Matthews took it out.

‘104! Jack, how long has he been sick?’

‘I-I don’t know. It wasn’t this bad last week, I swear. But he’s been coughing all weekend and he threw up this morning and he said his chest hurts and he can’t breathe and I don’t know what to do!’

Tears streamed down Jack’s face at the admission. Suddenly he was pulled into a hug by Mr. Matthews.

‘I’m sure you did your best, Jack. But I think Shawn needs to go to the doctor. You get dressed, I’ll grab some blankets for your brother, okay?’

Jack nodded and rubbed at his eyes. He got dressed in record time and followed Mr. Matthews to the car. During the ride, Jack held Shawn, whispering words of comfort and rubbing his back as the younger boy had another coughing fit.

At the hospital, Shawn was taken into an examination room and Jack was forced to wait. Mr. Matthews stayed with him, filling out the forms and taking him to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. When they were back in the waiting room Mr. Matthews asked the question Jack had been dreading.

‘You said Shawn got sick last weekend and you didn’t know what to do. Have you been taking care of your brother the whole time?’

‘Uh-huh. I’m really sorry.’

‘No, Jack, it’s not your fault. But where were your parents? They’re the ones who are supposed to take care of Shawn, not you.’

This was an issue. Jack was acutely aware that his home situation was not right. He knew from Eric that parents were supposed to be home and cook dinner, not gone for days at a time. They were supposed to make sure you brushed your teeth and tuck you in at night. Not come home drunk and make a mess of the house. But Jack didn’t want to tell Mr. Matthews the truth. Nothing good could come from that.

‘They went to Texas for the weekend. Shawn and I have been staying with Uncle Mike, but he works the night shifts so that’s why he wasn’t there when Shawn got sick.’

He could tell that Mr. Matthews didn’t believe him, but he was saved by a doctor coming into the waiting room.

‘Family of Shawn Hunter?’

Jack raced over.

‘I’m his brother. Is Shawn okay?’

The doctor waited until Mr. Matthews joined them.

‘Shawn has pneumonia. We’ve given him antibiotics and something to reduce his fever. Since he’s been lethargic and had trouble breathing, we’d like to keep him overnight. You may take him home tomorrow, if everything goes well. Would you like to see Shawn now?’

‘Yes, please.’

They followed the doctor, Jack practically on her heels. When they got to the paediatric ward, Jack was told to be very quiet, since Shawn was sleeping. He went to his brother, while the adults stayed outside. Guilt washed over him. He should have done better, should have taken better care of Shawn. Very gently, Jack grasped Shawn’s hand.

‘This won’t happen again, I promise, little brother. I’ll take care of you.’ 

* * *

Jack was 9 when he got into his first fight. He wasn’t a very aggressive person by nature, preferring to solve a conflict by talking. Shawn, at 7 years old, was the one who’d usually start throwing punches. He was a little firecracker and many a time, Jack had found himself cleaning up Shawn’s wounds. Outwardly he would berate his little brother, but privately, he preferred fights being the reason for Shawn’s cuts and bruises, as opposed to a drunk dad.

Shawn always admired his brother’s cool headedness, whishing he could be more like Jack. However, Shawn was also one of the very few people who knew that Jack could be terrifying when properly angered. The first time he witnessed this was when he accidently ran into Eddie. Shawn didn’t like Eddie. The older boy was mean and scary. He was always stealing stuff or beating people up. But what Shawn hated most was that Eddie was always trying to involve him.

Like today. Shawn had just come back from the Matthews house and was almost at his trailer when he heard his name being called. He turned around and winced when he saw Eddie coming towards him.

‘There you are, little brother. Listen, I’ve got this little job tonight and I could really use you. What do you say, Shawn? Help your brother out?’

Shawn hated that Eddie insisted on calling him brother. Shawn already had a big brother, thank you very much. Jack was much better anyway.

‘No, I gotta go home.’

Eddie wrapped his arm around Shawn, pulling him closer. He was still smiling but the younger boy could tell his refusal was not appreciated.

‘Come on, little guy. We’re brothers, we’re supposed to help each other.’

Jack had always told him not to do anything Eddie asked him. Not that Shawn wanted to anyway. He tried to wriggle out of Eddie’s grip.

‘I said no.’

Suddenly he was shoved against his trailer. His head met the window, hard and Shawn let out a cry of pain. That really hurt! Eddie was holding him in place, hands fisted into the front of Shawn’s jacket. He wasn’t smiling anymore.

‘Wanna try that again, little brother?’

Before Shawn could respond, Eddie had unexpectedly let go, causing Shawn to fall to the ground. He instinctively curled into himself, waiting to be kicked. But it never happened. Instead he could hear a scuffle, a few meters away from him. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Jack pounding Eddie viciously in the face. 

Jack was absolutely livid. The whole world had gone red and hazy. Nobody hurt his little brother, nobody! When he had heard Shawn cry out in pain, Jack had barrelled out of the trailer and straight into Eddie. He hadn’t even stopped to think about the fact that Eddie was six years older and a lot bigger than him. Every single bone in his body wanted to hurt the older boy for laying a hand on his brother.

When Eddie finally got the upper hand, Jack was shoved onto the ground. He immediately got up again, standing protectively in front of Shawn.

‘Leave my brother alone!’

‘Who’s gonna make me? You? I could kill you with one hand tied behind my back.’

Jack held his fists in front of him, like he had seen the boxers on tv do. He could feel the fear radiating off Shawn behind him, stoking the fires of Jack’s anger.

‘You can try. But I’ll kill you if you ever hurt Shawn again, understood?’

The two boys stood glaring at each other for a few minutes, before Eddie shrugged and walked off. Over his shoulder, he threw:

‘See you around, little brother.’

The moment Eddie had truly gone, Jack sunk to the ground, all the anger dissipating as his body ached all over. Shawn crawled next to him, gently touching Jack’s face. It earned him a wince. The little boy let out a sigh and stood up, holding his hand out towards Jack. The older boy stared at him in confusion.

‘Come on, big brother. I’ll take care of you tonight.’ 

* * *

Jack knew that most 11-year olds hated doing groceries. But he actually rather enjoyed it. Grocery shopping felt like a normal chore and thus, it made Jack feel like a normal boy with a normal life. Sometimes, Shawn came with him, but more often than not Jack went alone.

This morning, dad had been severely hungover and told Jack to get some food and dump Shawn somewhere, since the kid couldn’t stay in the trailer. Jack had decided today would be one of the times he took Shawn with him, since Cory was at a baseball game with Eric.

They had just left the grocery store, each carrying a bag, when someone called out their names. Jack turned around and saw Eric running towards him. Holding out an arm, he stopped Shawn in his tracks, who looked up in confusion before noticing Eric.

The older boy came to a halt in front of them, smiling.

‘Hey guys, what you up to?’

‘Buying groceries. Hey, I thought you were at a Phillies game with Cory?’

Shawn’s face lit up at the mention of his best friend. Eric, however, turned red and shuffled his feet, averting Jack’s gaze as he did so.

‘We, uh, we had to go home early. Cory got hit by a ball in the side of the head.’

Jack gaped at him. Beside him, Shawn let out a shocked gasp.

‘Is he okay?’

‘Yeah, just hurting. He could probably use a visit from his best friend, though.’

Shawn looked up at Jack, who gave his permission with a nod. Handing his bag to Eric, the youngest Hunter took off towards the Matthews house as fast as he could. Jack let out a sigh and reached out his hand to take the bag from Eric. The older boy pulled away, shaking his head.

‘No, it’s fine, I’ll help you carry it home.’

They walked in silence for a few moments, before Jack turned to Eric.

‘Okay, I’m curious. What exactly happened at the game?’

Eric shrugged, then gave a small smile.

‘It’s pretty stupid really. I got those tickets, right? And dad gave me enough money to buy two hotdogs, one for me and one for Cory. But as I make my way back to Core, I realised I’d eaten them both.’

Jack frowned.

‘That’s awful.’

‘No, that was the happy part. The sad thing was, I felt so guilty that I started running up and down the aisles, collecting money from people. A quarter here, a dollar there. Until I had enough to buy another hotdog. As I walk towards him, Cory reaches out his hand, giggling…and then a foul ball smacked him right in the side of the head!’

Jack winced in sympathy.

‘You know, that’s probably one of the worst stories I’ve ever heard. And that’s including all those stories Shawn comes up with when he has a sugar high.’

Eric nodded thoughtfully.

‘Yeah, you might be right. But at least it gives me a story to tell about my brother.’

‘True. So, did you actually get to see anything of the game?’

They talked about baseball for the rest of the way. When they’d reached the trailer, Jack took the other bag from Eric.

‘Thanks, man, I’ll take it from here. Are your parents bringing Shawn over or do I need to pick him up?’

‘Actually, I was hoping you might want to hang out with me. We could shoot some hoops.’

That certainly sounded a lot better than spending his Saturday in the trailer, looking after his dad.

‘Sure, just give me a few minutes to put the groceries away.’

Jack and Eric spent most of the afternoon playing basketball together. Mr. Matthews joined them for a few rounds, which was loads of fun. When the sun started setting, Jack went inside to get Shawn. He found his little brother in the kitchen, helping to set the table while Cory was sitting on the stairs, holding an ice-pack to his head. Mrs. Matthews smiled at Jack as he entered while Shawn bounded over.

‘Jack! Cory’s mom said we could stay for dinner. Can we, please?’

The older brother swore to himself that there would be a day when he wouldn’t be persuaded by Shawn’s puppy eyes. However, right now, Jack did not have the immunity he wished for. Besides, he liked hanging out with Eric.

‘I don’t see why not.’

His answer was greeted with a cheer, which was immediately followed by a groan from Cory.

‘Not so loud, Shawn. You’re making my head hurt.’

For the tiniest moment, Shawn froze, as did Jack. Then both Hunter boys shook it off and Shawn went over to Cory, apologizing.

During dinner, Jack was unnerved by how silent his little brother was. Shawn seemed terrified of hurting Cory further and wasn’t allowing a single sound to pass his lips. Jack was internally debating how to address it, when Cory solved the problem for him.

‘Shawnie, you don’t have to be quiet all the time. Just don’t shout.’

And just like that, the tension had disappeared and Shawn was joking with Cory. Eric nudged Jack and drew him into a conversation about basketball. By the end of dinner, they were fiercely arguing about whether Star Wars or Star Trek was superior and Jack had no idea how they’d ended up at that topic. Across the table, Cory and Shawn were whispering about something.

When Mrs. Matthews informed Eric it was his turn to do the dishes, Jack immediately offered to help. They were a few minutes in, when, to their surprise, Shawn joined them. Eric frowned at him.

‘Where’s Cory?’

‘His head was really bothering him, so your mom told him to go to bed. I had to tell you that you need to be very quiet when you go upstairs. Jack, Mr. Matthews offered to drive us home when you guys are done.’

After they’d put the dishes away, Jack guided a sleepy Shawn to the car. He was surprised when not only Mr. Matthews but also Eric got in. Not that Jack minded. It gave him some more time to spend with his friend.

Just before they arrived at the trailer park, Jack asked Mr. Matthews to pull over.

‘We’ll walk from here, if that’s okay.’

Mr. Matthews frowned.

‘Alright, if you’re sure. Do you need us to come with you? Shawn looks about dead on his feet.’

No, that was not an option. Jack had no idea what kind of state dad would be in and the last thing he wanted was for Mr. Matthews to see dad drunk. Nope, nope, not happening. Jack looped an arm around Shawn and gave a small smile.

‘Thanks, but I can handle him. We’ll be just fine, sir. Thank you so much for the ride home. Eric, I’ll see you tomorrow?’

‘Don’t doubt it. I heard Cory and Shawn talking about doing their homework together tomorrow.’

‘Okay, goodnight then and see you tomorrow.’

Jack wasn’t blind to the fact that the car didn’t move until he and Shawn were in the trailer park. They’d have to be careful around Mr. Matthews. The man noticed a lot more than Jack was comfortable with. 

* * *

Jack was 13 when he finally gave up on his father. Chet Hunter was a complicated man. When he was sober and around, he tried his best to be a good dad. Drunk, however, the smallest thing was enough for him to lose his shit. If Virna was around, she usually kept Chet away from the boys’ bedroom. Only, she wasn’t home as much as she used to be.

As a kid, Jack would simply focus on keeping Shawn quiet. Dad rarely came to their room and he never laid a hand on either of the brothers. That changed when Jack was about 8. It wasn’t that Jack had done anything specifically that day, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Shawn had been having a sleepover at Cory’s, thank God. After dad had finally fallen asleep, Jack had dragged himself to Uncle Mike’s. The man let him stay without asking questions, although he’d given Jack a knowing look.

This month, dad had been home a lot. After the first week, Jack found himself wishing dad would just leave again. Things were so much easier when it was just Shawn and Jack. They didn’t have to walk on eggshells all the time. Jack wouldn’t find himself hiding in the closet, trying to keep his little brother quiet and straining to hear if dad was asleep yet.

It all came to a head when Shawn woke up in the middle of the night, feeling the call of nature. He was still half asleep as he stumbled down the tiny hall towards the bathroom. It was dark and that meant Shawn didn’t notice the bottle until he’d already tripped. He crashed against the wall, causing more bottles to start rolling and clanking against each other.

‘Boy, how am I supposed to sleep with all that noise!’

In a flash, Shawn felt himself pulled to his feet. His dad towered over him, stinking of alcohol and looking absolutely livid. Shawn gulped and stared at his feet.

‘Sorry, dad.’

‘That ain’t no answer! And look at me when I’m talking to you!’

A hand shot out and grabbed Shawn’s face with bruising force, making him look up.

‘I’m sorry, dad.’

His dad scoffed.

‘Sorry, huh? You sorry, boy? Come here.’

Shawn was dragged into the living room, where his dad finally let go. Then came the first punch. Shawn’s head snapped back with the force and he felt something wet dripping from his nose. Before he could react, another punch came. And then another. Tears burned in his eyes and fell down his cheeks. Not that it did him any good. He was shoved to the ground, which was swiftly followed by a kick to his side.

‘You think sorry makes it all okay, huh? Think that makes up for such a rude awakening? Answer me boy!’

‘I’m sorry! Stop, please! It hurts.’

He was curled up on the ground, head tucked under his arms. Sobs tore through him and his body felt like it was on fire. From the corner of his eye, he saw dad pulling back his foot for another kick. But it never came. Instead there was the sound of glass breaking and then an almighty crash that shook the floor.

‘Shawn? Oh God, Shawn!’

There were hands gently pulling at him, trying to get him to uncurl.

‘Come on, we gotta go. I don’t know how long dad will stay out.’

One of his eyes stubbornly remained shut, but he managed to open the other. He could just make out Jack’s face, tight with worry, hovering above him.

‘Jack?’

‘Yeah, yeah, I’m here. Can you sit up?’

Together, they managed to get Shawn leaning against the wall. Jack briefly tapped his little brother’s face.

‘I’m going to grab your shoes. I’ll be right back, okay?’

He grabbed the first pair he could find and gently forced them onto Shawn’s feet. His little brother stayed oddly compliant through it all. But when Jack hoisted him into a standing position, Shawn let out a pained cry and would almost certainly have collapsed if Jack didn’t catch him.

‘It’s okay. I’ve got ya.’

Jack placed Shawn’s arm around his shoulders and together they shuffled out of the trailer. Fortunately, most of the trailer park was asleep, meaning they could sneak off relatively unnoticed. Jack knew they couldn’t stay with their family, dad would find them within minutes. He had to get them both somewhere safe.

They had just left the trailer park behind, when Shawn started collapsing.

‘I can’t. It hurts.’

Jack grimaced. They had to keep moving, this place wasn’t safe. But one look at Shawn told him his little brother wasn’t able to walk any further. Alright then. If his brother couldn’t walk, then Jack would carry him. He guided Shawn to the ground, then squatted down with his back towards him.

‘Climb on.’

Shawn obeyed without protest and Jack found himself internally grateful that his little brother didn’t weigh much. As he adjusted his grip on his brother, he felt a wet spot against his back.

‘Oh, Shawn. I’m so sorry.’

He didn’t get a response, but he did feel Shawn nuzzling his face into the crook between his neck and shoulder. Mentally steeling himself, Jack set off down the street. He walked as fast as he could, afraid of hearing footsteps behind him. Every now and then, he whispered something to Shawn, who mumbled something in return.

It took him longer than normal and Jack sighed in relief when they finally reached the Matthews house. His back and arms were aching and Shawn had fallen asleep. As quietly as he could, Jack snuck into the backyard. There he gently lowered his brother to the ground.

‘Wait here, I’ll be right back.’

It was a matter of seconds to climb onto the roof, even with his aching muscles. The window was open and Jack briefly wondered if Cory always left it open for Shawn. Right now, that didn’t matter though. He snuck into the room and found Eric and Cory sound asleep.

‘Guys,’ Jack whispered. ‘Guys, wake up.’

There was a groan and then Cory was sitting upright, rubbing his eyes with his fists.

‘Wha’s going on?’

‘Cory, it’s me, Jack. I need your help.’

That woke the younger boy right up.

‘What happened?’

‘Later, I need you to wake Eric for me first. We’ll need him too.’

Cory threw his pillow at Eric, who came up swinging. He froze, however, when he noticed Jack standing in his room.

‘Jack? What are you doing here?’

‘Later. Shawn’s outside, I need you to unlock the door and help me get him inside. Cory, do you have a first-aid kit?’

Between the three of them, they managed to get Shawn upstairs and cleaned up. When Eric offered to get a mattress, Jack stopped him.

‘Just some blankets and pillows. They’re a lot easier to hide than a whole mattress.’

Eric frowned at him.

‘Why would you need to hide anything?’

‘Because your parents can’t know Shawn and I are here. Besides, we’re leaving first thing in the morning.’

Eric opened his mouth to argue but Cory interrupted.

‘Can we not do this right now? Shawn needs sleep and honestly, so do I.’

Although Eric caved, Jack knew the argument was far from finished. After making sure Shawn was comfortable, Jack pulled a blanket towards himself and closed his eyes. They would have to leave in the morning, but for now, at least, they were safe.

For Jack, it felt like the alarm went off only a few minutes after he had fallen asleep. He could hear groans coming from the beds and had to agree. Lying down again, Jack wondered if he could just close his eyes for a few more minutes.

That idea disappeared when someone knocked on the door. Eric jumped out of bed and started hiding the blankets and pillows, while Jack opened the window and pulled Shawn with him. After pushing his little brother onto the roof, Jack turned back to look at his best friend and held a finger up to his lips. He got a nod in return.

The brothers hid in the tree house until everyone had left. Jack was then presented with a dilemma. What now? If they went to school, Mr. Feeney would surely notice Shawn’s black eye and the huge bruise on his cheek. But if they didn’t go, someone would come looking for them at home. Neither of those situations were an option.

‘Jack? Shawn? You boys here?’

Both of them froze. Dad had found them.

‘Come on boys, I’ve been looking for you all morning.’

Jack carefully poked his head out. Dad was standing by the kitchen door, peering inside. He didn’t look mad, just worried. When he suddenly turned around, Jack wasn’t fast enough in pulling back. Dad gave him a small smile.

‘Hiya, son.’

‘Dad?’

Shawn poked his head out before Jack could stop him. Both boys noticed the enormous wave of guilt that washed over their dad as he saw his youngest. The man sat down heavily on the ground. Shawn tried to go to him, but Jack grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. His little brother stared at him in confusion.

‘No, stay here.’

Shawn tried to pull away but Jack held on tight.

‘It’s dad!’

Which was exactly why Jack didn’t want to let go of his little brother. Dad was the whole reason Shawn looked so awful. No way in hell was he going anywhere near the man.

Dad seemed to understand what was going on in Jack’s head.

‘I won’t hurt either of you, I promise.’

How was he supposed to trust that? Promises were easily broken, as dad had proved countless times. What did it say about Jack that he preferred the adults in his life to be absent? He knew it hurt Shawn every time dad and Virna left, but it at least meant that Jack’s job was a little easier.

‘Come on, Jack, he promised!’

Steeling himself, Jack made a decision. It was his responsibility to protect Shawn and he would do whatever it took. If that meant he had to hurt dad, so be it. He let go of Shawn and followed at a slower pace as his little brother scampered over to their dad. He stood back as dad cradled Shawn’s head, gently prodding the black eye with his thumb.

‘I’m sorry about that, boy. Does it hurt?’

‘About as much as a bottle over the head, I’d wager.’

Dad looked up at Jack’s response, unconsciously rubbing the back of his head as he did so.

‘Gotta say, boy, you took a good swing at me. Got some strength in you, that’s for sure. Hunter man through and through, huh? Well, can’t say I blame you.’

‘It’s okay, dad,’ Shawn piped up.

‘No, it’s not, son. You’re my boy and I shouldn’t hurt you. Listen, both of you, I promise, no more. Deal?’

Shawn immediately shook dad’s hand, then looked up with big eyes.

‘I’m hungry.’

Dad laughed.

‘That’s my boy! What do you say about some breakfast?’

‘Let’s go!’

Shawn ran towards the front, but Jack stopped dad with a hand on his arm. The man looked down at him, taking in the steely gaze.

‘Listen, dad. You gotta keep this promise, because it’s your last chance. If you ever get drunk again, I’ll run away with Shawn and you’ll never find us. Understood?’

He knew his words were hurting dad. But enough was enough. Jack was done with all those empty promises. Every time one was broken, so was Shawn’s heart. This was it. Either dad cleaned up his act or he’d lose his sons. His choice.

‘Understood, son.’


	2. Don't you worry child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't you worry child.   
> See Heaven's got a plan for you.   
> Don't you worry, don't you worry now.

For a while, dad kept his promise. He stopped drinking and got a steady job. Because his behaviour improved, Virna stayed home more often again. She took over the household tasks that Jack had been doing, which was a great relief. Now Jack could focus on school and just play with his little brother instead of trying to raise him.

Shawn also flourished under the improved home situation. Not that he necessarily started doing better in school, but he didn’t act out as much. Which was all Jack could ask for at the moment. When dad bought them both huge water guns, they had a blast playing in the warm weather. Shawn once again proved his mischievous nature by soaking their dad when the man stepped out of the trailer. To the brothers’ relief, dad let out a roar of laughter and then started chasing them both.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. A few days into December, Virna started leaving again. Then dad lost his job and spent most of his nights in a bar. Jack found himself looking after Shawn again, cooking dinner, doing the laundry, cleaning the trailer and buying groceries. The last one was especially hard, since they didn’t have enough money to buy even the bare necessities. Fortunately, since Shawn spent so much time at Cory’s, they were often invited to stay for dinner, which they gladly did.

Then, the last week before Christmas break, Jack found himself faced with a dilemma. He had been eating dinner with Shawn, who was poking his food instead of eating it. Jack looked on for about 5 minutes, then decided he needed to find out what was wrong. But, he had to be subtle about it, or else Shawn would immediately clam up. Little brothers were tiring.

‘How was school today?’

‘Fine. Cory said his parents got him a real leather, NBA certified basketball.’

Well, that would definitely explain Shawn’s melancholy mood. It was hard, hearing classmates talk about all the stuff they were getting for Christmas, while knowing there wouldn’t be any presents under your own tree. However, Jack had a little surprise for his brother. He had been doing odd jobs since last month and saved up all his money to buy a pair of ice skates for Shawn. Both boys loved ice skating and Jack knew that Shawn had grown out of his old skates.

‘That’s a pretty cool gift.’

‘Yeah, I guess so.’

It was quiet for a while. Jack pondered on how to improve his brother’s mood, when Shawn suddenly looked up.

‘Hey, you don’t happen to have five dollars I can borrow, right?’

‘Why’d you ask?’

‘Minkus is buying the class present for Mr. Feeney this week and everyone has to chip in. But I don’t have any money.’

This was a problem. Technically, Jack had the five dollars Shawn needed. But then he wouldn’t have enough money to buy the ice skates. Which meant that there wouldn’t be any presents under the Christmas tree this year. On the other hand, if Jack didn’t give Shawn the money, his little brother would be the only kid in sixth grade who hadn’t contributed to the class present. And even though Shawn pretended not to care about it, Jack knew his brother would feel awful. Then again, not getting any present for Christmas would suck just as much.

‘I…uh…I don’t have any. Sorry, Shawn.’

‘Nah, it’s okay. Doesn’t really matter anyway.’

Jack found himself tossing and turning for most of the night. Had he made the right decision? Maybe he should have given Shawn the money and buy something else instead of the ice skates.

The next day, Jack went to pick up Shawn at the Matthews house, only to find his little brother storming towards him from the backyard. Holding out his arm, he effectively stopped the younger boy in his tracks. Shawn glared at him, but Jack stared back, unaffected.

‘What happened?’

‘I don’t need any lousy charity, especially not from Cory!’

Ah, that explained a lot. Both Hunter brothers thoroughly disliked charity, though Shawn took it to an extreme. Jack could appreciate it when it helped him to take care of his brother. But it did raise the question, why had Cory offered charity?

‘You didn’t tell him dad got laid off, did you?’

‘No, of course not! Mr. Matthews told him.’

The gears in Jack’s brain worked at top speed. If Mr. Matthews knew dad had been fired, would that pose any problems for them? What if people started looking a little closer into the Hunter family life? They would place the brothers in foster care and who was to say they wouldn’t get separated? How was Jack supposed to take care of Shawn if that happened?

A pull on his arm interrupted the panicked rush of thoughts. Looking down, Jack found Shawn staring at him impatiently.

‘Can you let go of me? I wanna go home.’

‘Yeah, sure.’

Shawn stayed grumpy for the rest of the evening, as well as the following morning. After dropping his brother off, Jack slowly made his way to high school. Tomorrow was the last day before Christmas break, so Minkus would probably be buying the class present tonight. And Shawn still had no money to contribute. Jack’s little brother may have no great love for school, but he would hate to be the only one not on the card.

After school, Jack found himself at a sports store, looking at the ice skates. He knew exactly what he wanted to buy, yet found himself unable to. What if Shawn would get really mad when he found out that Jack did have the money after all? But, if he had given the money, there was no way he would be able to afford the skates. They were top of the line and the Hunter boys so very rarely got something that wasn’t second hand.

Eventually, he decided to buy the skates. There was no way to turn time back now, so he might as well do what he originally intended. With that in mind, Jack carried the box over to the register. The girl standing behind it smiled at him.

‘Micron Mega Air 10-90. Good choice. You play?’

‘They’re not for me. It’s a Christmas present for my little brother.’

The smile grew impossibly brighter.

‘Well, your brother is a very lucky boy. These are very good skates.’

At home, Jack tucked the present in the back of his closet, covering it with a pile of jackets for good measure. During dinner, Shawn was awfully down. Dad and Virna didn’t notice a thing, but Jack did. He wanted to ask about it, but was afraid to do so. If he did, it might spark another argument between dad and Virna. There already was an unhealthy amount of tension between the two.

That night, Jack found himself tossing and turning again. The way things were heading, Christmas was shaping up to be rather lousy. He wouldn’t be surprised if Virna would be absent again. Jack didn’t understand how she could. It broke Shawn’s heart every time she pulled her disappearing act. Sometimes, Jack thought that his little brother loved too easily. Shawn loved dad and Virna with all his heart, forgave them no matter how many times they left. Jack had lost any love for his father when the man laid a hand on Shawn. It was something Jack wouldn’t forget and could never ever forgive.

‘Jack,’ a small voice whispered. ‘You awake?’

Turning onto his other side, Jack found Shawn staring at him, looking upset. He wrapped an arm around his little brother, pulling him closer.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Minkus came asking about the money for the class present again. Today was the last day.’

Dear God, he’d made the wrong decision. He should have given Shawn those five bucks.

‘When I told him I didn’t have the money, he called me a deadbeat. Said that the whole class would know tomorrow, since my name won’t be on the card.’

That Minkus kid was dead, so dead. Jack knew Stuart Minkus was a scrawny little nerd, but no one was allowed to insult Shawn like that. Sure, his little brother wasn’t without faults. But this wasn’t fair.

‘You’re not a deadbeat. We just don’t have a lot of money right now.’

Something that sounded suspiciously like a sob came from Shawn. It broke Jack’s heart and he wordlessly hugged his little brother. There wasn’t anything he could say that would make the situation better. He just wished he had given Shawn the money instead of buying a present.

The following morning, neither brother was surprised to find that Virna had left, though it did add even more depression to Shawn’s mood. However, when Jack went to pick up Shawn after school, he was met by a completely different little brother. The younger boy was grinning like crazy, happiness radiating off of him.

‘Can we stop at the Matthews house? I need to talk to Cory.’

Later that evening, Jack learned that Cory Matthews had given five dollars to Minkus, pretending to have borrowed the money from Shawn earlier. It made Jack extremely happy that his little brother had such a good friend. While stringing up the lights, Shawn talked non-stop about everything that popped into his active mind.

When both dad and Shawn were asleep, Jack snuck into the living room and placed the single present underneath the tree. He hoped to God he had made the right decision. Sure, the money problem had more or less solved itself in the end, but Jack was still afraid that Shawn would get angry when he found his big brother had five dollars to loan after all.

He needn’t have worried. When Shawn discovered the present under the tree, his whole face lit up. Jack snuck a quick glance at his dad and found guilt shimmering in the man’s eyes.

‘Is it for me? Really?’

‘Your name’s on the label, isn’t it? Go ahead, open it.’

Shawn let out a wordless exclamation when he unearthed the skates. His head whipped around, staring at Jack and dad, who were both seated on the couch. The youngest Hunter seemed at a loss for words, mouth opening and closing without making a sound. Even so, Jack could read the question in his brother’s eyes.

‘Merry Christmas, Shawn.’

His little brother dove onto him, hugging Jack with all his might. Gratitude emanated from every fibre of Shawn’s being, filling the older brother with a warm and suspiciously fuzzy feeling. Maybe Christmas wouldn’t be so lousy after all.

* * *

The Hunter family had never been ideal. Jack always did his best to provide Shawn with a stable home life, but there was only so much he could do as a 14-year old. It was a thankless job for the most part, although Shawn sometimes showed his gratitude by taking on a chore, or when he was little, bringing home drawings he’d made for his big brother.

Other times, Shawn came home with questions or assignments that felt like a slap in the face for Jack. Like the time the kid had to write an essay about his family and all Shawn had written about was Jack. It had landed both boys in hot water, because they had to explain why Shawn was being raised by his big brother instead of his parents. The lecture that Jack had given his little brother afterwards had been one for the history books, as had the fight that ensued from it. Shawn hadn’t understood what the problem was. The teacher said the essay had to be about who cooked dinner, tucked you in at night, played games with you and cared for you when you were sick. In Shawn’s eyes, it was perfectly normal Jack did all that. The incident had left him wiser. Apparently, big brothers weren’t supposed to do all that.

And then there was today. Mr. Feeney had decided to give the class an assignment about model families and while Jack had enjoyed watching his brother practicing the role of nerdy little brother, he didn’t like the feelings that the assignment had left Shawn with. Nor the questions that followed.

Jack woke up in the middle of the night, with the feeling that something was missing. He turned onto his side and was faced with an empty spot. Worry immediately filled him, even though his mind pointed out that Shawn had probably just gone to the toilet. That theory went out the window when he heard something in the living room, something that sounded suspiciously like stifled sobs.

As quietly as he could, Jack walked into the living room where he found Shawn, curled up on the couch, arms wrapped around his legs and head buried in his knees. Jack knew that straight up asking what was wrong would get him nowhere. Recently, Shawn had decided it was uncool to be seen crying by anyone. The older boy would have to be subtle about it.

With that in mind, he made himself known by loudly walking into the kitchen area. Shawn immediately became quiet, though an occasional hiccup escaped him. Jack turned around to look at his little brother and found himself scrutinized.

‘What are you doing up? It’s the middle of the night.’

Shawn shrugged.

‘Nothing. What about you?’

Here was his opening. Play it right, offer comfort without Shawn catching on.

‘I had a bad dream and now I can’t go back to sleep. Thought I’d get some warm milk. You want some?’

‘Yeah, sure.’

Step one, completed. As Jack prepared the beverage, he heard a sniffle coming from the couch. He was aching to go over and comfort, but he knew it wouldn’t do anything. Take it slow, one step at a time. After pouring the milk into two cups, he made his way over to the couch and sat down next to Shawn.

They stayed quiet for a while, just sipping their warm milk. It was Shawn who chose to break the silence.

‘What did you dream about?’

Right, he’d told Shawn he couldn’t sleep because of a bad dream.

‘You know how Mr. Matthews offered me a job at his store? Well, I dreamt that Eric was mad at me for stealing his spot and because of that, he chased me, dressed up as a lobster.’

Shawn burst out laughing and Jack did his hardest to stifle his grin. Seeing Eric dressed up as a lobster had been hilarious, although he did feel bad about taking his best friend’s job. Luckily, Eric had been cool with it, saying he’d learned his lesson.

‘That was your bad dream?’

‘Hey, don’t critique my nightmares! It was scary!’

That earned him another giggle.

‘You have weird nightmares, Jack.’

He shrugged. There was nothing he could say to that, since Shawn was right. If he’d really dreamed that, Jack would have asked his subconscious just what exactly it was thinking.

Shawn went quiet again, though there was still a hint of a smile on his face. After finishing his milk, he put down the cup and leaned against Jack’s side. The older boy wrapped an arm around him and nodded to himself. Step two, completed.

‘Is there something wrong with me?’

The question took Jack by surprise. He hadn’t expected Shawn was hurting on that level, he’d thought more along the lines of a nightmare.

‘No, of course not. Why would you think that?’

‘Because mom and dad keep leaving. I know parents aren’t supposed to do that. And you’re perfect so it can’t be because of you. So, there has to be something wrong with me. I’m the reason they’re never around.’

Jack grabbed Shawn’s chin and forced the younger boy to face him.

‘Listen to me. None of it is your fault, understood? I don’t know why they keep leaving but it’s not because of us. You need to know that, Shawn.’

He could tell his little brother didn’t believe him. Fine, then he would keep saying it until Shawn did believe him.

‘Topanga said the only way you can judge a family is by how much love there is in the home. Mr. Feeney agreed with her. How can mom and dad love us if they’re never around?’

Stupid assignment. Stupid dad and Virna. Why did they always leave Jack to deal with all of this? If they were so determined to leave, then the least they could do was stay gone. This was hurting Shawn like crazy. All the kid wanted was proper parents.

‘Shawn, do you love me?’

‘Course I do! You’re my brother.’

‘And you know I love you, right?’

A hesitant nod.

‘Well, there you go then. I know the Hunters are not exactly a model family, but there is lots of love in this home. We’d do anything for each other. And I’m sorry dad and Virna aren’t always around, but honestly, we’ve always been just fine without them. Haven’t we?’

‘I guess.’

‘Our family is a little unusual, but it’s a good one. If Topanga knew how much love there is in this home, I’m sure she would agree with me.’

And that was the root of the problem, wasn’t it? Shawn had learned once again what a family should be like and realised his home situation wasn’t right. Jack experienced the same thing when he was in sixth grade. It had hurt him, but it hurt his little brother even more. Shawn, for all his bravado, was a boy who desperately wanted to be loved. Being denied that by his parents damaged him. Jack did what he could but he was still only a teenager. One who had been abandoned by his mother as a toddler, abused by his father since he was eight, continuously taking over the household from his stepmother since first grade and most of all, one who had been forced to be both parent and sibling to his little brother for as long as he could remember.

Yeah, the Hunter family was as far from a model family as you could get.

* * *

Most people thought that Eric Matthews was stupid. Or, at the very least, not particularly smart. It wasn’t true though. Eric simply saw certain things differently. Things that other people found perfectly normal, completely confounded Eric. But there was one area where he probably saw and knew more than anyone else. And that area was Jack Hunter.

Their friendship was just as long as that of their little brothers. Hanging out with Eric was the only time Jack could completely unwind and just be a teenager. He never asked difficult questions, didn’t expect him to always be in control. The only thing Jack had to be was the voice of reason, which came quite naturally to him. They played basketball, watched movies and did their homework together.

Eric knew that Jack had a tough home life. Many times, Eric had wondered if he should tell everything to his parents, maybe get his friend some help. But Jack had point blank told him that if he didn’t keep his best friend’s secret, Jack would never speak to him again.

“ _I can handle it, Eric._ ”

“ _There’s nothing going on._ ”

“ _I was roughhousing with Shawn and things got a little out of hand._ ”

That lie had been popping up more and more. Eric knew that Shawn was a good fighter, but he couldn’t imagine him hitting Jack so hard the guy ended up with a black eye. Nor did it seem plausible to him that Jack would let things get so out of control that Shawn wound up with a broken wrist. No, something else was going on there.

Which was proven to him once again when he caught Shawn crawling in through the window. Kinda disappointing that it wasn’t a puppy. Would have been a lot less trouble. Because now Eric was presented with a problem. Jack had called him earlier, out of his mind with worry, because Shawn had blown up a mailbox and then went missing. And here was said boy, hiding in Eric’s bedroom.

‘Hey, Core? Lassie came home.’

While his older brother instincts told him this was the perfect moment to make Cory take over his chores, his best friend instincts said he should let Jack know Shawn was safe. If Eric’s little brother went missing, he’d be just as worried, though maybe he wouldn’t be so open about it.

Cory was already trying to bribe him with meatloaf. Eric ignored him and instead took a good look at Shawn. The kid looked like a wreck, fear in his eyes. It was clear that if Eric ratted them out, the youngest Hunter would immediately take off again.

‘Alright, calm down, I won’t tell on you.’

Both boys looked at him in surprise, although Shawn’s eyes soon narrowed in distrust. 

‘You won’t?’ Cory asked.

‘Nah, but you’ll have to take the trash out for me tonight.’

Cory opened his mouth to complain, then closed it again and went downstairs. As soon as the door closed, Eric turned to Shawn, who was still scrutinizing him.

‘Thought you’d be a lot harder to bribe.’

‘No, not tonight. You see, I need to talk to you.’

Wrong approach. Shawn’s face immediately became closed off. Still, Eric knew he had to do this.

‘Jack called earlier. Do you have any idea how worried he is?’

‘I already told Cory, I can’t go home. My old man’s gonna kill me.’

Eric was about to respond when he suddenly remembered the night Jack had snuck into his room, bringing with him a badly hurt Shawn. Maybe this wasn’t an exaggeration. Perhaps Shawn truly was afraid to go home.

‘Okay, calm down. How about we get you something else to wear? Cory’s clothes can’t possibly be comfortable to wear.’

His clothes may have been big on Shawn, but they certainly fit better than Cory’s. After making sure the kitchen was empty and the kiddos were otherwise occupied, Eric grabbed the phone and dialled a familiar number.

Relief flooded through Jack when Eric told him of Shawn’s whereabouts. It meant his little brother was safe and gave Jack the time to make sure dad didn’t kill Shawn. Sure, this had been a stupid stunt but he would be surprised if his little brother had actually meant to blow up a mailbox. It was more likely that Shawn’s impulsiveness had gotten the better of him.

‘He blew up a mailbox, Virna! Do you know how much it’s gonna cost us?!’

Jack winced. He had stayed in the living room, while dad and Virna had moved their fighting to the bedroom. Good thing too, since it had allowed Jack to answer the phone. He jumped when the bedroom door was thrown open and dad stormed towards him.

‘Who called? Was it Shawn? Does that boy know how much trouble he caused?!’

Anger coursed through Jack.

‘Of course he does! He’s not stupid!’

‘Could’ve fooled me.’

His vision turned red as he pushed himself in dad’s personal space.

‘How dare you? Shawn’s just a kid, they do stupid things! And right now, he’s afraid to come home. Why do you think that is, huh?!’

Virna placed herself between them, arms extended to keep them apart.

‘Both of you, calm down.’

Jack took a deep breath, watched as dad did the same. As Jack’s words sunk in, shame appeared in dad’s face. Evidently, the threat of running away still held some sway.

‘Look, I know this stunt cost money. And I promise you, Shawn will pay you back every last dollar. But only if you let Virna give him a lecture and decide on the punishment. Deal?’

Even though dad agreed, it still took a lot of effort to get Shawn home. Jack once again found himself very grateful for Cory, since he was the one who finally convinced Shawn to stop running.

Jack agreed with the punishment Virna decided on. He was less impressed that halfway through, both she and dad left again, meaning Jack had to enforce the rest of the punishment. Luckily, Shawn accepted it without protesting. After school, he came straight home and did his homework. He didn’t try to watch tv, or any of the other things he wasn’t allowed to for the duration of his punishment.

On the last night of the punishment, Jack sat Shawn down on the couch.

‘I know you got a whole lecture from dad and Virna already, but you have to hear this. Do you know why you were grounded?’

Shawn scrunched up his nose.

‘Yeah, because I blew up that mailbox.’

Jack smacked him upside the head.

‘That was dad and Virna’s reason. I’ve been enforcing it because you ran away. I think I actually got some grey hairs from all the worrying. You have to know, so long as I’m around, you can _always_ come home. No matter what you do. Understood?’

‘Even if I blow up a hundred mailboxes?’

He couldn’t help but laugh at that.

‘Shawn, you could blow up the whole state and I would still want you to come home. You hear me?’

‘Loud and clear.’

They were quiet for a while, until Shawn suddenly looked up with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

‘I won’t blow up the entire state, but I can’t make any promises about school.’

Jack grinned, even as he swiped at his little brother’s head.

* * *

There was a certain frantic energy in the air today and the source was none other than Jack’s little brother. Shawn had been excited for weeks about starting high school. He’d even bothered Jack for advice, which the older brother had gladly given. Shawn hadn’t been too impressed with the way Jack had stressed the importance of doing homework, but most of the other stuff was helpful.

When they got to the Matthews house, Jack amused himself by watching Cory and Shawn greet each other. Their secret handshake was always hilarious to watch, today even more so because they decided it wasn’t cool anymore. On the way to school, Eric pulled him to the side.

‘Did you have Shawn sign the contract?’

Jack frowned.

‘What contract?’

‘The one that makes sure your little brother doesn’t approach you during school hours. Although, I guess Shawn wouldn’t be as much of an issue as Cory.’

The idea of pretending to not have a brother hadn’t even occurred to Jack. He was so used to looking after Shawn, having him at the same school would probably make his job easier.

‘I don’t mind if Shawn wants to talk to me. To me, family matters more than popularity.’

That got Eric quiet for the rest of the trip. During lunchbreak, Jack was joined at his table by Shawn.

‘Hey, shouldn’t you be sitting with Cory?’

Shawn opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the doors being thrown open and Harley Keiner marching in. Reacting on pure instinct, Jack pushed Shawn behind him. He didn’t like Harley and sure as hell didn’t want his little brother anywhere near the guy.

After Harley had left, Jack turned back to Shawn.

‘Now, not that I don’t like seeing you, but shouldn’t you be with your best friend?’

‘He needed to talk to Eric. You see, Cory did something stupid and now he needs help.’

‘It’s the first day! What could he possibly have done?’

‘Get the biggest bully of the school a week of detention.’

Yeah, okay, that would do it.

‘I thought I told you both to stay away from Harley?’

‘You did. But Eric gave different advice. Or at least, Cory interpreted that advice differently.’

Jack Hunter loved his best friend, no doubt about it. But there were days when even he had to wonder what kind of thoughts went through Eric’s head. It bothered him the rest of the day and came to a head when he heard from Shawn that Cory had to face Harley on his own, since Eric wouldn’t help.

Well then. Cory was Shawn’s best friend. And what kind of person would Jack be if he let his brother’s best friend get beat up six ways to Sunday? At 3:01 pm, both Hunter brothers were in the hallway, hidden from view but watching Cory. The kid had told them he had to do this on his own, because he didn’t want to be a coward.

Harley advanced on Cory, but the younger boy stood his ground. Which was brave, but he was so gonna get pummelled, especially if he didn’t shut his mouth. Jack ran forward to help Cory and nearly collided with Eric, who had arrived from the other side. They quickly recovered and stood shoulder to shoulder, Cory behind them.

While the two of them definitely gave Harley pause, Jack didn’t doubt there would have been a big fight if Mr. Turner hadn’t shown up. While the older Hunter brother had built up a good reputation for himself in the trailer park, he very much doubted he could have taken Harley, even with Eric’s help.

As the four of them walked home together, Jack clapped Eric on the shoulder.

‘Good on you, helping out your brother.’

‘Yeah, guess your words made some impact. I still think you have it easier though. Shawn already managed to make out with a girl from my homeroom.’

‘He what?!’

* * *

Sophomore year was not exactly shaping up like Jack had hoped. Home life was deteriorating, since dad and Virna seemed to have given up on parenting entirely after threatening to send Shawn to a military school if he put another toe out of line. To be fair, Shawn had been causing a lot of trouble lately, although Jack had put it down to puberty. It didn’t seem fair to Jack. Shawn was a mischievous boy, of course he’d pull some idiotic stunts. Sending him to military school was way over the top.

The weight of everything was starting to bear down on Jack. Dad had taken up drinking again, this time joined by Virna. They were rarely ever home, meaning Jack had to do everything, though Shawn often tried to help. On the nights the adults were home, neither brother got a lot of sleep, which caused them to fall asleep in class. Homework was done late in the evening, if it got done at all. Shawn’s homework took priority, since he was prone to leave it and Jack wouldn’t have his brother failing classes.

It was so tempting to ask for help. All he had to do was go to Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, tell them everything that was going on. But he couldn’t do that. Couldn’t risk the CPS getting involved. The fear of being separated from Shawn was too great. No, he couldn’t ask for help.

Mr. Turner seemed to know something was going on. He often looked the other way when Jack fell asleep during class, gave extensions when he couldn’t hand in his homework. The older Hunter brother appreciated it, but it also made him wary. What if the teacher started digging deeper?

When he caught Shawn hanging out with Harley Keiner and his goons, Jack wanted to tear his hair out. Just throw in the towel and be done with it all. He did everything he could to give Shawn a good life, make sure his little brother would become the great man Jack knew he could be. And all the while, the kid seemed to think the only thing he would ever be was trailer trash.

Thank God for Cory Matthews, who was sticking to Jack’s idiot kid brother like glue. Cory might be a little weird sometimes, but he was a loyal friend and had Jack’s respect for that. Even when Shawn tried to push him away, the kid stood his ground. It caught Jack by surprise when Cory came running to him, saying Shawn was in the parking lot with Harley and the others, probably about to do something illegal. Jack went with him and screeched to halt when he saw Shawn standing with a baseball bat by Mr. Turner’s bike, Harley egging him on.

Oh hell no! Jack had done everything to raise his little brother right and no way was an idiot like Harley Keiner going to ruin it all. He was about to intervene when Cory suddenly approached the guys, all casual like and took the baseball bat from Shawn. Insisting that if this was where Shawn belonged, then Cory did too. When Harley threatened to punch Cory, Jack rushed forward.

‘I don’t think so.’

‘Get lost. This ain’t none of your business.’

Jack shifted into a fighting stance, hands clenching into fists.

‘Actually, it is. You see, Shawn’s my little brother. And I don’t take very kindly to people leading him down the wrong path.’

Just as they were about to start throwing punches, Mr. Turner came outside and diffused the situation. As soon as Harley had left, Jack rounded on Shawn. He felt like exploding but was stopped by the expression on the kid’s face. Anger, confusion, hurt and sadness were all vying for dominance. This wasn’t the time for Jack to berate him. Shawn needed him to be a big brother, not a parent.

Luckily, Mr. Turner gave a lecture instead, one that Jack agreed with whole heartedly. Seemed like he wasn’t the only one who knew Shawn had so much potential in him. Wrapping an arm around the kid’s shoulder, Jack lead him inside. After making sure they were out of earshot, he leaned down and whispered:

‘What do you say we go to the ice rink? I think a little bit of skating might do your mind some good.’

The brothers skipped the rest of the school day, instead spending it at the rink. For a few hours, they could forget about everything else and just be two brothers who loved to skate. All tension flowed away as they played tag on the ice. Shawn loved the game, as it allowed him to show off. He would let Jack come almost close enough to tag him, then exploded with speed and zoom around the rink. His excited laughter filled the air, making Jack grin. Both boys expertly weaved between the other skaters, more at ease on the ice then they were anywhere else.

* * *

Looking back on it, there had been a lot of warning signs. Small incidents that ended up escalating into a big one. Money had become a serious issue. Everything that Jack earned had to be hidden immediately, or else it would go to alcohol instead of basic necessities like food. Once, dad tried to sell Shawn’s ice skates and was berated so fiercely by Jack that the man stayed away for three days straight.

Virna had become more on edge, more prone to leaving again. Jack knew it wouldn’t be long until she left permanently and only hoped that when the time came, he could stop Shawn from lashing out at the world. Already, the kid was getting more and more prone to emotional outbursts. Some were easy, but others were really difficult to handle. It was hard to be the adult when in truth, Jack was still in puberty himself. Keeping all his emotions bottled up tight was taking a toll on him. He couldn’t act out at school like Shawn did, else there would be a world of trouble. Telling anyone was out of the question too. He simply had to keep a lid on his emotions. Just until he was eighteen, then he could get custody of Shawn and move out. Find a place and make it home, just for him and his brother.

‘Today’s Career day. Do you think there will be any parents with cool jobs?’

They were making their way to the Matthews house. It was routine, pick up their friends and all walk to school together. One of the moments where Jack could pretend he was a normal teenager. He shrugged at Shawn’s question.

‘I suppose so. It all depends on what you think is cool.’

‘Firefighters are cool. They save people.’

‘True. Would you wanna be a firefighter when you’re older?’

‘Don’t know yet. Do you know what you want to be?’

Jack thought deeply for a while, then smiled.

‘If I could be anything at all, I’d be an ice hockey player and play for the Philadelphia Flyers. You?’

Shawn grinned.

‘Same. Can you imagine what that would be like? The famous Hunter brothers, star players of the Philadelphia Flyers.’

‘Yeah, we’d be awesome, wouldn’t we?’

If only the happy mood could have lasted for the rest of the day. Shawn had seemed excited for Career day, even though dad wouldn’t be there. Probably for the best though. Kinda hard to participate if you don’t have a job. So when dad showed up in the cafeteria during lunch, followed closely by a livid Mr. Feeney, Jack nearly fell out of his chair. What the hell was he doing here? He was supposed to be out of town.

Shawn reached the adults first, blowing dad’s phoney story about being Mr. Feeney. Jack followed closely behind, reading in their dad’s body language that something was very wrong. And sure enough, dad spilled. Virna had taken off again and this time, she took the trailer with her. Jack saw the exact moment the words sank in with Shawn. The hurt and puzzlement in his little brother’s eyes when he realised his mother had left, permanently this time. Damnit, Jack knew how this was going to end.

He wasn’t surprised when dad dropped them off at a motel. Jack hated the place on sight and kept Shawn close. When the kid suggested they go to Mr. Turner’s place, Jack was all for it. At the very least, they would be safe there. The man had a soft spot for Shawn and also got along great with Jack.

They had terrible timing. Mr. Turner clearly had a date with Ms. Tompkins and the brothers were interrupting. While Jack was horrified, Shawn pushed on as only he could. Ms. Tompkins soon left, but instead of kicking them out, Mr. Turner offered them food. It smelled great and they sure as hell weren’t about to pass it up.

‘Would a napkin slow you down?’

Right, manners. As Mr. Turner talked, the brothers moved to the couch and Jack noticed Shawn was starting to flag. The events of the day, not to mention the emotional upheaval, were taking a toll on Shawn and so Jack gently took the bowl from him and wrapped an arm around the kid’s shoulders, pulling him against his side. The younger boy went easily, eyes closing as his body sagged against Jack. Out like a light within seconds.

Mr. Turner quipped about it being just like class and Jack gave a small smile. The man tucked a blanket around them, which Jack greatly appreciated.

‘Sorry for barging in on you. We can go back to the motel if you want.’

‘Nah, that’s okay. I’d rather you spent the night here, so I’ll know you’re safe.’

‘Thanks, Mr. Turner.’

They were dropped off at the Matthews next morning, while Mr. Turner went to talk with Mr. Feeney. Shawn immediately went upstairs with Cory. Jack sank down on the couch and put his head in his hands. What was he supposed to do now? In the trailer park, they had been relatively safe, since everyone knew who they were and which family they belonged to. At the motel, Jack just had to hope no one would bother them. How long would they have to stay there?

‘Jack, sweetheart, are you alright?’

He looked up Mrs. Matthews, who was sitting next to him, a hand on his shoulder. She looked so kind and motherly, someone he could tell his problems to. Someone who would take the burden from his shoulders.

‘I’m okay, Mrs. Matthews, just tired.’

She opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. When she opened it, lo and behold, there stood Chet Hunter. One look at him and Jack knew dad had returned empty handed. Shit. Either Shawn and he would be spending weeks on the road with dad, or they would be abandoned yet again. Judging by dad’s stance, probably the latter. 

After calling Shawn down, dad explained Virna had given him the slip, again and he had to go after her. In the meantime, he wanted to leave his boys with the Matthews. Shawn immediately protested, wanting desperately to come with dad, keep their family together.

‘Oh, come on. The road’s no place for a boy. Especially with your momma out there driving on it. Nah, your place is here. In school, with Teach over there. With your brother. In this house, in the company of these fine people. No pressure.’

The last sentence was aimed at Mr. and Mrs. Matthews. Cory was very excited with the idea of having Shawn as a roommate, but Jack agreed with Shawn’s hesitance. The Hunter boys had no place in a normal family. They were used to being with each other and while they functioned just fine like that, leaving them with adult supervision wouldn’t work. Shawn would balk at it, used as he was to only listening to his older brother. Jack would try to obey, but ultimately, he would be climbing the walls just like Shawn.

‘Both of you have a room here as long as you need it.’

Of course Mr. Matthews would say that. Jack hadn’t expected any different. And while it was awful nice of the man, Jack didn’t doubt he would soon be regretting it. Well, the Hunter brothers would have to be on their best behaviour, that much was clear. Hopefully dad wouldn’t be gone too long.

* * *

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since dad left them with the Matthews and it had not been easy on anyone. There hadn’t been a single sign from dad, not that Jack was surprised. Empty promises were nothing new. Shawn was taking it really hard. Kid wasn’t used to rules and curfews. Jack was discovering that some of their usual habits were not exactly considered well-mannered. About half of the stuff in the fridge had Shawn and his initials on it. Tempers were running high on all sides. Eric and Shawn could hardly be in the same room without getting into an argument. Cory was getting tired of having to play peacemaker all the time. Jack was running himself ragged cleaning up after Shawn, so as to not get on Mr. and Mrs. Matthews’ nerves.

Jack knew they had reached the limit when Mrs. Matthews presented them both with a new shirt and patched jeans. Shawn looked horrified at the patches on his favourite ripped jeans and had a hard time trying to be grateful. Jack managed a more sincere smile, but he knew this was going to be the final straw for his little brother. Both boys were free spirits, Shawn more so than Jack. Being cooped up all the time wasn’t doing them any favours.

He wasn’t surprised when it all came to a head. Shawn couldn’t sleep that night and opted to sit in the windowsill for a while. Jack let him, though he stayed awake just in case. He listened to Cory and Shawn’s argument, knew what was going to happen. As soon as Shawn left, Jack got up and went after him. The brothers spent some time with a stray dog and then simply wandered through the town.

‘Do you think dad’s coming back?’

The dreaded question.

‘I don’t know, Shawn. I hope he does.’

That was both a lie and a truth. If dad came back, Shawn and Jack could go back to their usual ways. On the other hand, home life with dad and Virna around wasn’t exactly great either.

‘What if he doesn’t? I can’t stay at the Matthews, I really can’t.’

‘I know. But where else would we go?’

Maybe running away wasn’t such a bad idea. They could go anywhere they wanted, live exactly how they liked. Explore the world, no adults telling them what to do. But even as he thought that, Jack knew it wasn’t practical. Chances were they would live on the street, truly end up on the wrong side of the tracks.

They ended up on a park bench, looking at the sky and trying to count the stars. Shawn reached 90 before falling asleep. Jack didn’t remember what number he reached before his eyes closed. Next thing he knew, someone was shining a flashlight in his face. Shit, caught by cops.

‘Where do you boys live?’

Jack found himself scrambling for an address. There was no way they could go to the Matthews, not with cops. It was Shawn who spoke up and directed the cops to Turner’s place.

The man was not happy to see them. Either because of the cop or because of Ms. Tompkins on the couch. She left right after the cop and although Shawn and Jack tried to do the same, Mr. Turner stopped them in their tracks. Shawn was indignant.

‘How come she got to go?’

‘Because I’ve got more to say to you two.’

Oh yeah, they were in deep shit. When Mr. Turner started yelling at them, Jack felt something crack inside. Sure, it was way too late for them to be outside, but couldn’t they get a break? Jack didn’t know what else to do, he’d been going crazy at the Matthew’s place, as had Shawn. Was he being a bad influence on his little brother? Should he have enforced more rules at home?

‘Look, we’re sorry for messing up your night!’

Shawn sounded angry. He was used to being berated by Jack, not an adult. Although he seemed to take it slightly better from Mr. Turner than any of the other adults.

‘Don’t be, I already messed it up before you got here.’

After making sure Shawn was sleeping in the guest room, Jack sunk down on the couch. Mr. Turner sat down next to him.

‘What’s bothering you, Jack?’

Should he tell him? Was it wrong if he did?

‘I want dad to come back.’

Truth and lie. Mr. Turner seemed to know something else was going on, but he didn’t push. Jack appreciated it. They talked about school for a while, then Jack went to bed while Mr. Turner called the Matthews family.

The three of them went back next morning and found Mr. and Mrs. Matthews in the kitchen. Cory, Shawn and Jack were sent upstairs while the adults stayed in the kitchen. There wasn’t any doubt in Jack’s mind what they were talking about. As quietly as he could, he crept back down the stairs to listen, Shawn just behind him.

When dad called, Shawn wanted to rush down but Jack held him back. If dad was calling, it wouldn’t be with any good news.

‘If the licence’s plates are anything to go by, I’m either leaving Ohio or coming into Georgia.’

That sure as hell wasn’t anywhere near Philadelphia. Dad clearly wasn’t coming back.

‘If you don’t come back, you be the one to tell your sons.’

Jack felt Shawn tense behind him. So no one wanted them? Not their dad, not the Matthews. Fine then. The Hunter brothers wouldn’t bother them any longer.

The adults in the room turned around and finally noticed them standing on the stairs. They looked both surprised and guilty. Jack felt tears of frustration building, felt Shawn shaking behind him and he simply exploded.

‘None of you want us. Well that’s fine. We don’t need you, we never needed anybody!’

They stormed upstairs, adults hot on their heels. Shawn locked the door while Jack started grabbing their stuff. He had enough money to get them two train tickets to New York City. They would figure everything out from there.

When they reached the ground, Mr. Turner was waiting for them. Of course. Jack recovered first and grabbed Shawn’s wrist, dragging him past the teacher.

‘Where are you gonna run now?’

Jack wanted to keep walking but Shawn stopped and turned around. Mr. Turner approached them, though he didn’t get too close.

‘What do you care?’

Jack sighed and tried to drag Shawn away.

‘Come on, we have to go.’

‘Yeah, I know. I’ve been there. Someone reaches out to you and says they care about you, it’s easy to run.’

Jack got fed up and turned around. He wanted to leave, right this second. He didn’t want to stay here and get his hopes up. Mr. Turner might be the only person in the world who understood their situation, but that didn’t mean he would want to get involved with them.

‘Look, I’m sure you got a lot of big emotional problems to work through here, but we need to go, find somewhere to stay.’

‘I’ll do you one better. How about I give you two a home?’

One look at Shawn told Jack his little brother was already halfway to caving. No way. Jack wasn’t going to put him through this shit again. It was Jack’s job to look after Shawn and he’d already failed him too many times.

‘For how long? Three weeks and then you get sick of us?’

‘I’m sick of you now, Hunter, but I’m still making the offer.’

Shawn was convinced, Jack could tell. But then something rebellious appeared in the boy’s eyes.

‘You’re not gonna tell me what to do.’

‘Somebody’s gotta.’

‘Yeah, Jack! He’s the one I listen to. And besides, you’re not our dad!’

No, Mr. Turner wasn’t a man who always lost his job, abandoned his sons and abused them when drunk. Jack knew he was standing at a crossroads. He had to make a choice, the right one. Mr. Turner was offering them stability, a caring adult. A chance for Jack to be just Shawn’s big brother, nothing more.

‘He’s not trying to be, Shawn. He’s offering us a roof and a window to crawl out of.’

Mr. Turner gave a smile.

‘Your brother is right. Although it is five stories up.’

Shawn returned the smile.

‘I like a challenge.’

‘So do I.’

He clasped hands with Shawn, then with Jack. They were interrupted by a thud, followed by a groan. Leaving his brother with Cory, Jack followed Mr. Turner inside. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews were waiting inside and Mr. Turner explained the situation, then talked it over with dad. Jack turned to Mr. Matthews.

‘Sorry for all the trouble we caused. And I swear we’re not ungrateful for everything you did. But this feels right.’

Mr. Matthews clapped him on the shoulder.

‘No hard feelings, Jack. Remember, you and Shawn are always welcome here.’

‘Thanks, Mr. Matthews.’

**Author's Note:**

> I would love it if you leave a comment. It makes my muse more cooperative. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and there's more chapters coming!


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